Children of Filmland (1913) 🇺🇸

They’re “regular” stage folk even if they haven’t got a Screen Club or Photoplayers’ Club of their own, where, if they had, Yale Boss would undoubtedly sit in the big chair, by virtue of his last name, and for once would have Andy Clarke at his mercy.

by Mabel Condon

No doubt Andy — Andrew on Sundays and other dress-up occasions — would aspire to the office of treasurer, so he could veto the payment of the president’s expense account with an “N. S. F.” excuse and would then pay Yale’s and his own car fare to the Edison studio and charge it to the club.

And Marie Eline — of course there’d be a “she” section to this club — would see to it that the women got their rights and a retiring room with plenty of mirrors and Parisian ivory things on the dressing, tables, and in the writing room there’d be dainty cream-tinted stationery with gold embossing — this at the suggestion of Mildred Hutchinson who just loves to drop in somewhere, on her trips from Jersey Heights and the Pathé studio, and write little notes back to her girl chums.

Of course the stationery wouldn’t benefit everybody in the club, for there are a number who haven’t got past the “C-A-T — cat” stage yet. For instance, there’s Dorothy DeWolff, who’s two and one-half years old and doesn’t know that “cat” is anything but just cat. Just the same Dorothy would be entitled to an active membership in the club by virtue of her five-dollar-a-day check earned at the Lubin studio.

And there’s Helen Badgley, the Thanhouser Kidlet, whose three years of life have taught her to do an Eva Tanguay impersonation and not to look in the face of the camera unless she’s supposed to. Of course, if Helen so willed she would mount a tapestried chair and make gruesome black-hand symbols on the club’s embossed stationery with the club’s pen and ink, and nobody would offend by suggesting that she desist; nobody would dare.

Sydney Cummings and Robert Connelly, who share honors in Vitagraph pictures, would shun the writing room and probably seek out — whom they often see playing “big brother” parts in Thanhouser pictures — Leland Benham, to impart to them of his eight-year-old store of knowledge just what it is that people see in this writing thing, anyway.

The Turner twins, Fred and Allan, would be a self appointed excitement committee, thanks to which the club would never be ennui-ed to death. As an uncatalogued example of perpetual motion, the twins may be described and their similarity is so marked that the members would never know whether it was Fred who was present and Allan who had gone out, or whether it was Allan whose dues were in arrears and Fred who owed the service bill. In the Famous Players Film Company’s The Prisoner of Zenda the twins were declared to be cute in their duties as train-bearers.

And often would there It visitors of note at the club whose associate membership would entitle them to all the privileges.

Master Eric Desmond of the Hepworth Stock Company would tell those who had never “been across” how the film game goes in merrie England. Eric was the David Copperfield in the first three reels of the seven reel film of that title, and his seven years did him the service of several more than that in his handling of difficult situations.

Suzanne Privat’s thoughtfulness would provide for the reception committee a souvenir — something of her dear Paris, which to her is Gaumont-land. Suzanne is five years old and has been in Gaumont pictures for eighteen months. She is a wonderful little tragedian with the saving quality of being natural in everything she does. The lead in the four-reel “In the Clutch of the Paris Apaches” is a recent work of this little French girl.

If “Tiny Tim” could secure a holiday at the same time as Suzanne he undoubtedly would make the trip with her, as he is anxious to make the acquaintance of the American little people, to whom the five-year old is already well-known.

With the arrival of Lilly Frederiksen, a Great Northern player, the club would make one of its warmest attachments, for Lilly is the happiest of all happy people. Her fathers and mothers are the players of the company, who took Lilly as their mascot when she was only a baby. That was five years ago, and ever since Lilly has been laughing into the camera and the lives of everybody connected with the studio at Copenhagen. “Little Sunbeam” they call her, and the club would be sure to find her that.

At intervals and between wild animal pictures, words of greeting would come from Lillian Wade, the curly-headed little girl out on the Selig domain in Hollywood, Cal. Lillian, though not quite five years old, can swim and ride and is a fairy-like little dancer. Her playmates are lion and tiger babies and more than once has she trusted herself to the trunk and consideration of Toddles, the Selig elephant.

From out of the golden West would come greetings at intervals from the Mack Sennett company of child players. Their trade-mark is “Keystone” and their slogan is “To act for Mack — Watch us.” Thelma Slater, another of the five-year olds, and possessing curls, fat knees, and the liking of the rest of the “kids,” is the leading lady and has no trouble at all with the role.

Joe Moore, with his King Baggott [King Baggot] hair-comb, being one of the best little arrangers the club would know, would have authority to declare a dinner, or dance, or both, just as often as the funds would allow. As a toastmaster, Joe would show them all how — and not a mention of Kinemacolor and all the recent time he has spent in scenes in which he went in black and white, and came out red, blue and otherwise. Joe, though only ten years old, looks more than that and has done three years’ picture service.

Brooks McCloskey would find it possible to come in on the coffee-and-rolls two-hour train any time there was anything exciting to come in for, as Brooks lives on excitement. By supplying this element in the first-grade room in school, he manages to stand the strain of daily attendance. But he is always first out and makes a breathless appearance before the Lubin directors to know if “he is wanted.” Brooks has the distinction of being the son of a scenario editor, a Lubin one, and his home is at Glenside.

Another Lubin representative would be almost-five-years-old Henrietta O’Beck, who loves to be abused and even killed out-right as long as it is Director Joseph Smiley who superintends the accidents.

“Comes a loafer mit a brick.” It’s one of the best imitations Edna Hamel does, and she does many. She would easily rank as a “governess” of the club, being thirteen years old, and Adele DeGarde, being fourteen, would also qualify. Kenneth Casey, with his thirteen years to boast of, would be a governor. Adele and Kenneth would elect the same officers, disapprove of the same bylaws and refuse to compete for a one-person-only honor, because one of them would have to lose out. This loyalty is the result of their several years’ work together in Vitagraph pictures, and they are the Darby and Joan of Childville. Helen [Helene Costello] and Dolores Costello hail from the same school and would not only be active members of the club, but energetic ones. Audrey Berry’s big eyes and her seven-year-old pleasantry would be welcome assets, the Vitagraph nest again receiving thanks.

Comes Christmas with a rush!

Much ado about something is the order of happiness at the clubhouse and what with the excitement of the order for the biggest tree the city can offer, the arrangement of a reception to Santa and the penning of various and secret notes in the quietest corners of the writing room, the atmosphere is indeed exhilarating.

Even little Doris Hollister, serious and thoughtful, with the dignity of having just turned six, and overturned the comfortable habit of late sleeping to one of getting to school every morning at nine — even Doris is filled with excitement. Doris isn’t given to excitement; she has been to Ireland three times and spent a year in Egypt and Palestine with the Kalem company, in which are her mother, brother and father — her father is an expert camera man and Doris likes to tell you about it.

A wave of mysterious something enters with Clara Horton. This seven-year-old lady comes from Fort Lee and the Eclair studio to shop and is so elated with the secrets she buys, that nobody would dare even try to peek. Clara bears the distinction among the younger set at the club of being able to put on her own make-up. Hence the jauntiness of Clara’s ostrich feather — and her willingness to show the others how.

“Zing-ng-ng-ng!” That’s the way the door-bell of the clubhouse sounds when somebody plays with it. The attendant — of course there’s an attendant and he wears brass buttons — the attendant (he wears a uniform, too) sleuths in with a telegram on a silver salver. Mildred Hutchinson, being the senior of seniors present, tears it open like a real grown-up and announces, “For goodness’ sake — guess who’s coming! Matty and Early!”

Follows a confused chatter. “Haven’t seen Matty, old scout, since we played in —” “Oh, I do wonder if Early’s clothes will be like ours — you know, out West, most anything will do!” “Matty? Why I met him last summer when I went to the coast for —!” “But Elsie Albert is Early’s aunt and you know she dresses swell!” “Matty must be — he is — he’s just past six; how time flies!” “Do you ‘spose Early will pretend she’s only six instead of seven years old?” “Matty began in Powers pictures before he was two years old and he’s never been East.” “They say Early likes wild west pictures best of all— yes, the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch at Bliss, Okla., is where she’s coming from now.”

Georgia May Fursman, a ten-year-old recruit from Belasco’s management, and Mimi Yvonne, a four-year-old prodigy of a dramatic family, drop in from the day’s work at the Famous Players’ studio and hear the news of the coming company.

“Got a letter from Eugenie Clinchard — you know, the girl they call the Essanay ‘discovery’ out in Niles — well, she says they’re going to have a big party there Christmas eve. They are at the Chicago plant too; I know the little Calvert boy there — Santa always brings lots of things, at the studio.” After this bit of gossip, the Thanhouser Kid sipped her glass of milk and ate a salted cracker.

“Helen Armstrong, that chubby little girl at the Santa Barbara American plant, always gets loads of things; she’s so cute people just hand them to her.”

“How lovely!” breathed Runa Hodges, just come in from an afternoon of posing in cupid pictures at the Reliance studio. Runa was the model in the “Have you a little fairy in your home?” picture and had more demands on her time than she could supply.

“Hello everybody! I’m going to pick out a nice stub pen and write to Santa!”

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The following child actors are mentioned in the above article [Transcriber’s Note: At Vintoz, we follow IMDB’s naming conventions. Example: “Edna Hamel” from the above article is listed as “Edna Hammel” at IMDB]:

• Helen Armstrong
• Helen Badgely (1908–1977) — Thanhouser.
• Leland Benham (1905–1976) — Thanhouser.
• Audrey Berry (1906–1996) — Vitagraph.
• Yale Boss (1899–1977) — Edison.
• Kenneth Casey (1899–1965) — Vitagraph.
• Andy Clarke (Andrew Clarke) (1903–1960) — Edison.
• Eugenie Clinchard (1904–1989)
• Bobby Connelly (Robert Connelly) (1909–1922) — Vitagraph.
• Sydney Cummings — Vitagraph.
• Adele DeGarde (Adele De Garde) (1899–1966) — Vitagraph.
• Dorothy DeWolfe (Dorothy DeWolff) — Lubin.
• Marie Eline (1902–1981) — Princess.
• Lily Frederiksen (Lilly Frederiksen) (1908–19??) — Great Northern.
• Georgia Fursman (Georgia May Fursman) — Famous Players.
• Baby Early Gorman (1906–1982) — Warner’s Features.
• Edna Hammel (Edna Hamel) (1901–1964) — Edison.
• Runa Hodges — Reliance.
• Doris Hollister (1906–1990) — Kalem.
• Clara Horton (1904–1976) — Eclair.
• Mildred Hutchinson — Patheplay.
• Brooks McCloskey (1907–1988) — Lubin.
• Joe Moore (1894–1926) — Imp.
• René Poyen (Bout-de-Zan | Tiny Tim) (1908-1968) — Gaumont.
• Henrietta O’Beck — Lubin.
• Suzanne Privat — Gaumont.
• Matty Roubert (1907–1973) — Powers.
• Thelma Salter (Thelma Satler) — Keystone.
• Reginald Sheffield (Eric Desmond) (1901–1957) — Hepworth.
• The Turner Twins (Fred Turner & Allen Turner) — Thanhouser.
• Baby Lillian Wade (1907–1990) — Selig.
• Edna May Weick (1905–1983) — Famous Players.
• Mimi Yvonne — Famous Players.

Collection: Motography Magazine, December 1913